Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum

Description

In the context of the Kunstmuseen Krefeld, the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Museum occupies a central position and focuses on the presentation of art from the second half of the 20th century. The heritage-listed building opened in 1899 and is located on Karlsplatz on the Westwall in Krefeld.

The idea of creating a museum instead of an imperial statue was already discussed in the 19th century; nevertheless a sculpture was produced first, unveiled on 27 June 1880 in the Stadtgarten, whose bronze figure was destroyed in the Second World War. After renewed initiative, financing was broadly supported by the citizenry, including a significant individual donation; by 1897 sufficient funds had been raised to begin new construction. The museum building was erected between 1894 and 1897 in an eclectic style with echoes of the Italian Renaissance and combined from the outset exhibition function with commemorative character. A larger-than-life statue in Carrara marble was installed in the stair hall; the first collections grew gradually through purchases and donations, and in 1905 a large-scale relief by the Italian artist Jacopo Sansorino entered the holdings.

Extensions to the north and south wings followed in 1910–1912. The building was closed in 1942 because of the war, but remained undamaged. In the 1960s a comprehensive renovation took place: the grand staircase was replaced, the statue removed from the foyer and ceilings lowered; the museum reopened in 1969. The previously dismantled imperial monument was installed outdoors on the north side of the building in 1979, but shows damage there as a result of its treatment and exposure to the elements.

Between 2012 and 2016 the building was refurbished to international museum standards, spatial proportions were restored and the interior design revised. On the second floor in 2015 the wall painting Lebensalter by Johan Thorn Prikker, created in secco in 1923, was made visible. After a presentation of the renovated building in April 2016, the museum was reopened on 2 July 2016 with the exhibition Das Abenteuer unserer Sammlung I.

The exhibitions present works and installations from the collection of the Kunstmuseen Krefeld. Notable is the Beuys Block by Joseph Beuys, who was born in Krefeld, an unchanged group of seven objects. The building also houses the Graphic Collection; in the Graphic Study Cabinet works on paper from the holdings are presented on request.